Entrepreneurs are busy people. Running a business requires a high level of commitment and since how much you earn depends largely on how many hours you spend working, it isn’t easy to strike the work-life balance.
More and more people are forsaking their social life and sometimes even rest and sleep to ensure their business is running smoothly. Everyone knows it’s unhealthy, everyone is aware it’s stressful but not many can do much about it. So, how does one go about running a great business and still have a life?
#1 – Don’t expect miracles from yourself
This is the cardinal rule. At some point or the other, you need to step back and just look at what you’re trying to achieve throughout your day. If your schedule feelings overwhelming; don’t just grit your teeth and bear with it. You shouldn’t expect your body and mind to withstand such abuse. When it becomes too much and you know you’ve taken more on then you can chew, delegate. It is absolutely vital to recognize and respect the limits of your mind and body. It is definitely not worth the money to compromise on your health.
#2 – Don’t expect to separate work and life completely
That’s not going to happen. There are times when you might need to sacrifice your child’s dance recital to attend a vital meeting. There might be a time when you might need to forgo a conference to make it to your son’s hockey game. You can’t really divide your work and your life straight down the middle and expect either of them to respect each other’s territory. You just need to implement a ranking system. Learn to recognize when your family and friends might need your presence more than work and vice versa.
#3 – Don’t try to be the go-to person for all problems
Don’t try to take on everything yourself. You hire people to help you run your business and handle problems as they pop up. Decide what responsibilities are your responsibilities and what are clearly meant to be handled by your employees and delegate those to them.
#4 – Recognize that you’re not alone
There are many other small business owners out there who are experiencing the same levels of stress and dealing with the same issues. Many successful business owners have learned to handle their work and their life in a way that best suits them. You can reach out to such people for advice, to see if they have a solution that might be tailored to fit your situation.
#5 – Be frank about your shortcomings
If you can’t handle a particular aspect of business, don’t try to fudge your way through it. Hand the responsibility over to someone else who has more experience.
In the modern market, there are businesses out there solely dedicated to providing different types of operational support for small businesses. By outsourcing certain tasks to more experienced people, you are improving the efficiency of your business, overcoming bottlenecks and clearing your desk to focus on the tasks that only you can do.
In the end, if you’re prudent and practical about it, you might just strike a balance that works for you.
